123 lines
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123 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
ÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÜ ÜÜÜ ÜÜÜÜ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßÛßßßßßÛÛÜ ÜÜßßßßÜÜÜÜ ÜÛÜ ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÛßß ßÛÛ
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ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛ ÜÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜ ßÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÜÜÜÛÛÝ Ûß
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ßßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÞÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßßÛÜÞÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÞß
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Mo.iMP ÜÛÛÜ ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ßÛß
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ß ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ÜÛ
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ÜÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÜÜ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÛÛÞÛÛÛÛÛÝ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ÜÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÜÛÛÛÛÜÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ÞÛ ßÛÛÛÛÛ Ü ÛÝÛÛÛÛÛ Ü
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ÜÛ ÞÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛ ßÛÜ ßÛÛÛÜÜ ÜÜÛÛÛß ÞÛ ÞÛÛÛÝ ÜÜÛÛ
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ÛÛ ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßÛÜ ßßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛß ÜÜÜß ÛÛÛÛÜÜÜÜÜÜÜÛÛÛÛÛß
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ßÛÜ ÜÛÛÛß ßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÛÜ ßßÜÜ ßßÜÛÛßß ßÛÛÜ ßßßÛßÛÛÛÛÛÛÛßß
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ßßßßß ßßÛÛß ßßßßß ßßßßßßßßßßßßß
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ARRoGANT CoURiERS WiTH ESSaYS
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Grade Level: Type of Work Subject/Topic is on:
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[ ]6-8 [ ]Class Notes [To Kill a Mockingbird ]
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[x]9-10 [ ]Cliff Notes [Maturing of Jem Finch ]
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[ ]11-12 [x]Essay/Report [ ]
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[ ]College [ ]Misc [ ]
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Dizzed: o4/95 # of Words:1011 School: ? State: ?
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ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>Chop Here>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ>ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ
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The Maturing of Jem Finch
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Society is not as innocent to a child as it may appear to be. In fact,
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when one really understands the society in which he lives he is no longer a
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child. This is much the same case as found in To Kill A Mockingbird, by
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Leigh Harper. Although Jem, being a child at the beginning of the novel, is
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immature and unaware of the society in which he lives, he matures mentally
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to the point where he sees the evil in society and gains a knowledge of
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death.
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Like most children, at the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird Jem and
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Scout are both young, play together, and have childhood monsters or fears
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like other children. Primarily, in To Kill A Mockingbird, Jem is young.
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Scout states their age when it supposedly all starts: "When I was almost
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six and Jem was almost ten..." (10). Here Jem is only nine years old and
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therefore still a moderately young child; it is assumed he is therefore
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immature. Jem also spends his time playing with his five year old sister.
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This also occurs very early in the novel: "Early one morning as we were
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beginning our day's play in the back yard, Jem and I heard something next
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door in Miss Rachel Haverford's collard patch." (11). As the novel
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progresses, Jem no longer plays with his sister Scout, but he is doing so
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at this point and he would appear to anyone as one child playing with his
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sister. Lastly, Jem has childhood fears like most any child does. All
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children have their fears or monsters. In Jem's case it i rthur Radley,
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commonly known as Boo:
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" Let's try and make him come out..."
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Jem said if he wanted to get himself killed, all he had to do was go up
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and knock on the front door...
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" It's just I can't think of a way to make him come out without him
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gettin' us."... When he said that I knew he was afraid. (17-18)
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Often, during his first summer with Dill, Jem talks of Boo and his
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house much like a child discusses a haunted house. Primarily it is assumed
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that Jem is a child due to three main points that come across; Jem is
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young, plays with his little sister, and has childhood monsters. However,
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as the novel progresses so does Jem to the point where he matures mentally
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enough to see the evil in the society around him. Jem's awareness of the
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society in which he lives can first be noted when his father accepts the
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case of a black man and others begin to talk of him rather rudely:
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" Have they been at it?" I (Scout) asked.
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" Sort of. She won't let him alone about Tom Robinson. She almost said
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Atticus was disgracing the family. Scout... I'm scared." (149)
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Here Jem gains his first taste of fear from his society in which his
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own aunt was getting cross at his father for defending a black man. When
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Mr. Robinson is pronounced guilty by a white jury things only heat up for
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Jem: "It was Jem's turn to cry. His face was streaked with angry tears as
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we made our way through the cheerful crowd." (214). Jem grows so angry and
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frustrated with the justice system and society in general that he becomes
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overwhelmed at this moment and begins to cry bitterly. At this point Jem is
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no longer a child and when he takes his frustrations to his father it only
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becomes clearer:
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"It ain't right, Atticus," said Jem.
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"No son, it's not right." (215)
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The fact that Jem becomes aware of the society around him in these
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three incidents support the theme that Jem is no longer a child but has
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matured mentally to the point where he sees the evil in the society around
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him.
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Just as Jem in his maturity gains a sense of the society around him, he
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also obtains a knowledge of death. The primary death was that of Mrs.
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Dubose, the elderly lady down the street: "Did she die free?" asked
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Jem. "As the mountain air," said Atticus..."...I wanted you to see what
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real courage is... It's when you know you're licked before you begin
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but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what." (116)
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Here Jem and his father Atticus have an emotional talk over the death
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of Mrs. Dubose and death itself. She died ready, peacefully, and free of
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morphine, of which she was an addict. Jem also learns a wonderful lesson on
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true courage at this point in which he is told how true courage is knowing
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you're licked before you start but you persevere anyway. This was the case
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for Mrs. Dubose. The second death which occurs that Jem is conscious of in
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the novel is that of Tom Robinson: "'Tom's dead.'" (238). Tom's death has a
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different effect on Jem. Rather than being a peaceful death, Tom's was a
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violent, uncalled for, and unfair death. Once again Jem sees the dark half
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of the society which killed Tom, an innocent man. However, the most
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significant brush with death happens to Jem himself when he is attacked by
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the vengeful Bob Ewell:
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We were nearly to the road when I felt Jem's hand leave me, felt him
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jerk back- wards to the ground. More scuffling, and there came a dull
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crunching sound Jem screamed. (265)
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Here Jem gains an awareness of his own life, his own mortality. These
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three deaths each had a their own individual effect on Jem, but Jem
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definitely gained an accomplished knowledge of death. Thus, Jem is a child
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at the beginning of To Kill A Mockingbird but does mature, gaining a sense
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of the society surrounding him and a knowledge, or a mature awareness, of
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death. Jem doesn't gain these mental developements easily but through much
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struggling, and this is exactly what To Kill A Mockingbird is all about; a
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struggle with society and learning by placing one's self in another's
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shoes.
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